A new report from Asian American Journalists Association found that local TV news stations often lack adequate AAPI representation.
The report compared the demographics of the top 20 TV media markets across the United States (in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago) to the “proportion of on AAPI on-air staff at the stations” in those cities.
According to a press release, the report found that “nearly 25 percent of stations have no AAPIs on air and more than 70 percent have inadequate AAPI representation in on-air staff.”
Phoenix, Denver, Miami and Cleveland were the only four cities that had an on-air staff representative of their AAPI populations. Cities with large AAPI populations like Los Angeles and New York City did not make the cut. Philadelphia, Detroit and Orlando had the least proportional AAPI representation on air.
AAJA also expressed disappointment with local TV stations that did not cooperate with their request for data.
“The lack of transparency was surprising, especially the fact that so many newsrooms completely ignored our request to verify their data,” AAJA Director of Programs and Partnerships Waliya Lari stated in a press release. “Most of the very few stations that did respond declined to comment on or verify the data we collected.”
AAJA feels their findings signal a need to increase the representation of on-air AAPI staff at local TV stations.
“It’s time for newsroom ownership to prove through actions, not just words, that they prioritize having staff that looks like and reflects their communities,” AAJA stated in a press release.
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